The L.O.R.A.C.K.S. Bill: An Example of Creativity in Girls State Legislature.

On Thursday, June 12th, The Louisiana Girls State House of Representatives voted on House Bill 8–LORACKS (Legislative Order of Restoration And Conservation for Keeping Stability) which met several oppositions and was amended  once. LORACKS was put in motion in attempts to hold large lumber cooperations accountable for the mass deforestation by mandating the restoration of forestation. The bill mandates that corporations must plant at least one tree for every tree removed, and be planted in areas designated by Wildlife and Fisheries Services. In addition to this, any unauthorized removal or destruction of lumber will result in a state penalty proportionate to the amount of unethically removed lumber. The ammendment added a time restraint of 60 days from when the deforestation happens to when the replacement trees must be planted. The bill was authored by Representatives Coulon, Allen, Clarke, Das, Growl, Harris, Hubbell, Johnson, Kelley, LaBorde, Lob, Rigsby, Sturdevant, Thompson, Wetzel of the Environmental Committee. When asked about her bill, co author Das said, “I just want everyone to let it grow, this is important.” LORACKS nearly unanimously passed in the House with 107 votes in support. On Friday the 13th, the bill went to the senate where it went through four rounds of debate, and finally passed 99-5 with 7 abstentions. With congress being a relatively new mandatory project for ALA Louisiana Girls State, this bill goes to show how creative and critical the bills created by Girls State citizens can be.